


Silver Bells

by Sreya



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Skyeward Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-01-23
Packaged: 2018-05-13 01:54:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5690107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sreya/pseuds/Sreya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My Secret Santa gift for batteredshipperheart on Tumblr! </p><p>So we have Skye and Grant Ward in New York City on Christmas Eve. In the wake of the Battle of New York from the Avengers. Because it's an AU and I can do that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [batteredshipperheart](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=batteredshipperheart).



_City sidewalks, busy sidewalks_  
_Dressed in holiday style_  
 _In the air there’s a feeling,_  
 _of Christmas_

A chorus of groans echoed through the quinjet as it touched down in New York City full of SHIELD specialists ready to help the field containment units. In the three hours since Iron Man had redirected a nuclear missile through the closing alien portal, a nor’easter had blown in to paint the city in cold, wet snow.

Not that he held Christmas in any higher regard than any other official holiday, but even Grant Ward thought it had been particularly rude of Loki to launch an alien invasion on Christmas Eve. So instead of kicking off his shoes, opening a beer, and reading a good book (or at least going on a mission in a location that was _warm_ ), he was sent in to help with a city-wide emergency clean up before any dangerous weapons could fall into the hands of unscrupulous citizens.

Joy to the world.

As they each collected their containment gear, Agent Sitwell called off their zone assignments. “Davidson, Elliott, Rutgers, you’re on 33rd St from 11th to 9th Ave. Butler, Sands, and Thomas, 33rd for 9th to 7th. Fellows, Madison, and Ward, 34th St from 8th to Broadway. Your containment center is located at Herald Square on 34th, bring any tech you find there. Your areas should be clear of civilians by now, but if you find anyone direct them to Madison Square Garden, there’s a reception center there. Remember to focus on _active tech_ , there’ll be other teams behind you for the rest.”

At that, he signaled for the pilot to lower the ramp and sent them off into the storm. Ward sighed and hitched up his collar around his ears. Outside, the street looked like a scene from the Twilight Zone; on the one hand, the street was decorated with red and green Christmas decorations, wreaths on the lamp posts, trees on the corners with red buckets for bell ringers, toys in brightly designed window displays, and the snow falling around them gently with the occasional stormy swirl. But instead of shoppers filling the streets, there were SHIELD agents scurrying about picking up debris; instead of taxis and impatient drivers clogging the streets, the cars sat silent under the crushing weight of alien flying crafts that lay where they fell; instead of bells and carols, the sounds around them were full of the crackling of a nearby building on fire and shouted orders; and mixed in with the snow was a dark gray soot from nearby explosions.

He didn’t even bother trying to use the comms; he just gave a hand-signal to his partners to say he was heading to the far end of their zone on 34th street. The junk wasn’t going to be picking itself up.

————

_Children laughing,_  
_People passing_  
 _Meeting smile after smile_

Madison Square Garden was teeming with people when Skye pushed her way in through the door, desperate to find a little heat and - if she was lucky - a place to plug in her phone. She’d been outside for hours now, first trying to capture a video of the attack on her phone, and then stranded after her van was crushed by an alien as it smashed into the street.

Of course, the alien crashed because Iron Man had just swooped by and annihilated it. So she could almost forgive the loss of her van. Except that it meant she was now homeless, in the middle of New York, where hundreds of thousands of people were also stranded. _That_ sucked.

Rubbing her hands together, Skye found her way to a vendor that was passing out cups of hot coffee as fast as her machines could make it. Skye reached for the cup and moaned in appreciation as she sipped at it - not the hottest in the world, but enough to warm her back up so she didn’t feel like a snowman. The charitable barista chuckled without pausing as she refilled the water reservoirs. “Nothing like a cup of joe on a cold winter’s eve?”

“Definitely,” Skye agreed along with a couple of other customers. The crowed thinned slightly as it became clear there was no more coffee for the next few minutes, but Skye leaned against the cart. “Mind if I charge my phone up here?”

The barista grimaced. “Wish I could help you there, but I’ve only got the one outlet and my machines already max it out. Think they’ve got charging stations set up in the arena, though - emergency supplies are in there, too. You look like you might need a dry set of clothes.”

She looked down at her soaking wet jeans clinging to her legs; she’d been so cold she’d stopped noticing an hour before. “You’re probably right. Thanks!” Giving her coffee angel a cheery wave, Skye followed the crowd to the arena entrance. Stepping inside, she had to stop for a moment in awe (leading to someone knocking into her from behind, though it wasn’t bad enough to fall at least) - the arena was _huge_ , and it seemed like every space was filled with people. There were several obvious emergency stations set up with signs for organizations like the Red Cross, Catholic Relief Services, Salvation Army, and groups she didn’t recognize but assumed were local charities. Voices echoed through the hallway, indistinguishable but with their own sort of melody. She’d expected panic among people who were now homeless or stranded in the city, but everyone was working together, standing politely in line as they waited for blankets, food, coats, basic first aid, or, thank heavens, an open outlet on a power strip. Skye made her way over to the charging station and joined the line. And older man, his skin darkened with age but with laugh lines around his eyes, stepped up to greet her. “You calling family?”

Skye shook her head, the usual chill washing over her as she was reminded how alone she is in the world. “Um, no, just gotta charge it up; ran it down during the attack.”

“Would you mind waiting a few hours?” the man asked her. “We’re trying to let people who need to call family charge up first, let them know they’re okay and make arrangements to get home.”

“Oh!” Skye stepped out of line quickly. “Sure, no problem. I get it, people must be _freaked_.”

“Well, it’s been kind of a freaky day,” the man agreed. He turned to ask the next person in line the same question as Skye hung back awkwardly, unsure where to go. She _could_ go looking for those dry clothes, but then, her clothes were already starting to dry off in the heat of the arena, probably augmented by the body heat of so many thousands mingling in the same place. The man noticed she hadn’t left, and turned back. “You got people here with you?”

“No, just me,” Skye shrugged. “Sorry, guess I’ll just, um, I’ll be back later.”

“If you don’t got anywhere to go right now, I could actually use your help with something.”

“Yeah?” Skye followed him as he led her toward the stairs going up into the bleachers.

“Yeah,” he echoed her, and he held out his hand. “I’m Nick, by the way.”

“Skye,” she responded, shaking his hand firmly as they walked together.

“Here, let me introduce you to the crew…”


	2. Chapter 2

_Strings of street lights,_  
_Even stop lights_  
 _Blink a bright red and green_  
 _As the shoppers rush_  
 _home with their treasures_.

Ward hefted the containment bag over his shoulder as he cleared another section of the street. The block was instantly recognizable - the main square in front of Macy’s used to broadcast the annual Thanksgiving Day parade. He’d been brought down once with his family - mostly he just remembered the big balloons that had come through. It was difficult to imagine the parade watchers lining the streets now, though, with all the destruction lying around.

At the end of the block, the street lights cycled through from red to green despite the lack of traffic, shining through the gloom as the sun started to set. Double checking his grid, he decided the next area to clear would be inside the main store front. A glider had crashed through the glass windows and doors, leaving the store entrance open to the winter cold. He stepped carefully through the broken glass and pulled out a flashlight - the main lights were out, though a light glow shone from the inner halls and Christmas music echoed out with an eerie cheer. Shopping bags and wrapped gifts were strewn about, lying where they’d been dropped as people panicked hours before, some managing to flee, others not so lucky. He kicked the packages out of his path as he walked over to the crashed glider, pushing off the alien body so he could examine the controls. The glider itself was completely inactive, its power source drained. He texted his coordinates off to the control teams nearby to signal they’d need a larger containment device, then started looking for any smaller tech that may have come loose in the crash.

He’d just disconnected the neuro-link from the alien corpse (ugh, just the image he wanted to carry into the new year), when he heard movement behind him. He dropped the containment bag and spun around, gun instantly aimed and resting on his flashlight. “Who’s there?” he barked. He heard a scuffle and a squeak. Ward stood and approached the darkened corner - it had been set up as some little holiday village, with a train large enough for children to ride on and gingerbread houses set up to play in. “Come out where I can see you!” he called.

This time he saw movement inside one of the houses. He crouched down and shone the flashlight inside - the light caught the dark eyes of a small child huddling in the back, tears carving tracks through the soot on his face. He quickly dropped the gun and pointed the flashlight out of the kid’s face. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.”

The kid just sniffled and crouched even tighter into a little ball.

“What are you doing in here?” Ward asked, trying to reach inside. The kid jerked back, frightened. “Hey, hey, it’s okay.” Looking over his shoulder at the glider, Ward had a pretty good idea what the kid had been through that afternoon. “They’re all gone now. It’s safe out here.” Not getting any reaction, he sat himself down on the fake snow outside the little house’s door. “What’s your name?”

The kid just shook his head.

“You’re not going to tell me?” The kid shook his head again. “That’s okay. My name is Grant Ward. I’m - well, I’m kind of like a police man.” He unzipped his jacket and pulled his badge wallet out of the inner pocket, then leaned in to place it opened on the ground between them. “See, here’s my badge - it says I’m an agent. I’m one of the good guys.”

He sat back and kept his hands easily visible, waiting. After a few minutes, the kid shuffled over and picked up the badge. He looked at the picture on it, then looked back up at Ward. “Police?”

“Yeah, I work with the police.” Ward was glad when the kid didn’t retreat. “Were you here with your parents?”

“My daddy.”

“Your dad, okay.” Ward looked into the hall again - it was dark enough that the bodies weren’t immediately obvious. Unfortunately, this kid’s dad was probably among them, but it wouldn’t help to tell him that. “I’ll bet your dad is really worried about you. Would you like me to help you find him?”

The kid nodded, and slowly crawled forward. Ward sat back and let him climb out of the little house, then knelt next to him. The kid was _tiny_ \- no more than three or four years old. He wore a winter coat, thankfully, though no hat or gloves. “It’d help me find your dad if you tell me your name.”

“Billy,” the little boy answered, his voice wavering.

“Okay, Billy, and what’s your dad’s name?”

“Daddy.”

Ward groaned inwardly. _Yup, definitely still on the baby side._ “Okay, Billy. Let’s go look for your dad.” He stood up and looked around. “I think it would be easier if I carried you. Will you let me do that?”

Billy looked up at him warily, studying him carefully. Ward just waited, letting the kid make up his own mind. After a few quiet moments, the boy reached up his arms, silently granting permission to be picked up. Ward hefted him up, catching Billy under his bottom as the little legs wrapped automatically around his waist. “Okay, kiddo. I want to you keep your face tucked in here, like this, while we go out. Can you do that for me?" Billy nodded and tucked his face in close. "Okay, let’s go see if we can find your dad.”

As they walked out, he checked to make sure he knew where the containment bag lay. Once outside in the snow again, he waved one of his partners over. “Madison!”

Madison jogged over from the opposite side of the boulevard. “What you got there, Ward?”

“Kid was hiding in the store - got separated from his dad.” Billy buried his face against Ward’s coat, shielding it from the snow blowing around them. “I’m going to take him to the CC, should be back soon. Left the containment bag inside to the right of the guest counters.”

Madison nodded. “Not a problem, you get the kid safe.”

Luckily, their containment center was just at the end of the block. He wove his way through the road blocks into a blooming tent city with large spotlights set up and portable labs visible behind large sheets of plastic. The air was filled with voices shouting orders, and people bustled back and forth carrying totes with pieces of debris contained in them. Billy was watching it all with wide eyes, his little fists gripping the fabric of Ward’s coat so tightly he worried it would rip.

“Hey!” Ward shouted to someone who looked like he was in charge. At least, other people were listening to what he said and responding quickly. The man seemed vaguely familiar - Wake? Blake? Something like that. “Hey!” he repeated. “I’ve got a situation here.”

Agent In-Charge turned to him with a sour look on his face. “What’s that kid doing here, he shouldn’t be inside the lines!”

“That’s the situation,” Ward answered, hefting Billy in his arms. For such a tiny little kid, he was sure getting heavy. “Found him down the street while clearing a crash site. He was with his dad.” He left the assumptions as to where the father might be unsaid.

“Then take him to the reception center,” the agent ordered off-hand and started to turn away.

“Whoa, hey, wait a second,” Ward objected. “I need to get back to my job.”

“Does it look like we’re set up here for children, agent?” the man snapped. “Madison Square Garden has the people and facilities to take in strays. We don’t. So take him there. Besides,” he gestured toward the kid, “good luck passing him off to anyone else.”

Ward looked down to see Billy hiding his face in his coat again, little hands gripping him for dear life. The senior agent smirked and walked away, leaving him alone. Ward shook his head ruefully. “All right, kid, looks like you’re stuck with me a little longer. Let’s get you to Madison Square Garden.”

————

 _Hear the snow crunch_  
_See the kids bunch_  
 _This is Santa's big scene_

“All right, who wants some hot chocolate!”

Skye grinned as she crouched down with the cups of cocoa among a swarm of kids. Turned out, Nick worked with one of the social services agencies in town that had come in to help out. After being introduced around, Skye was sent to a section of bleachers with thirty-some kids. A couple of them had parents working elsewhere in the arena, but most had been separated from their parents during the day’s events. The fear in their eyes was familiar to Skye, who’d seen so many kids come into St. Agnes’s with the same expression. She’d immediately set about cheering the kids up, roping in the other adults there to help get the kids distracted with Christmas songs and simple games. Dinner had arrived with sandwiches in grocery sacks, and she’d sent a couple of adults to the friendly coffee vendor for cocoas to top off the meal. The tears had mostly dried up, and as long as they kept the kids busy the time was moving quickly.

One little girl dropped her sandwich into her lap, her face alight as she pointed behind Skye. “It’s _Santa!”_

“Santa!” the other kids all shouted, scrambling with the food and drinks as Skye and the other guardians tried to keep everything in order. Skye laughed when she turned and saw Nick dressed up in an old Santa outfit, a big bag flung over his shoulder. He winked at her, then cheerily settled the children down on the bleachers with a few words about being good girls and boys on Christmas Eve. Then he called them over one by one, pulling out stuffed animals and dolls for each to cuddle with.

Skye stood back a little way, smiling and wishing her phone was charged so she could take a picture.

“Excuse me,” she heard from behind during her laughter at one little boy’s excitement over a stuffed octopus. She turned around to respond, then froze in surprise. Before her stood one of the most gorgeous men she’d ever seen - certainly the best looking one she’d ever met in real life. She blinked a couple times, before emitting a graceless, “Uh?”

“They sent me over here, said it was the best place for Billy until they find a parent or guardian to come for him?”

Shaking herself from her stupor, Skye finally noticed the little boy clinging to the man’s hand. “Oh, yeah! That’s us.” She knelt down to the boy’s level. “Your name is Billy?” He nodded. “Hi, my name is Skye. Do you want to stay here with me for a while?”

Billy shook his head. “No, want daddy.”

She looked up in surprise, and saw the man closing his eyes in frustration before he, too, knelt down. “Billy, your dad is going to be looking for you here with the other kids. This is a safe place for you to wait.”

The boy shook his head again and flung his arms around the man. “No, stay wif you.”

Skye almost smiled at the helpless look on the man’s face. “I understand, Billy. It can be scary without your dad, and it helps to have a friend. Right?”

Billy nodded, peeking out at Skye.

“I’d like to be your friend, too. And there are lots of other kids here, too, who would like to be your friends.”

She saw him pull away from the man just a bit, looking over at the other kids. “Santa?” he asked.

“Yeah, Santa’s here,” Skye smiled, relieved. “He knows everyone’s waiting for their moms and dads here, so he came to say hello. Do you want to say hi to Santa?”

Billy hesitated, looking up at the man he was holding onto. “You take me?”

The man’s mouth flopped open, and he looked to Skye for help. “I don’t know -“

“Oh, come on,” Skye teased him. “You afraid of Santa Claus?”

Billy giggled a little, and the man’s cheeks reddened. “I’m _not_ afraid of _Santa_ ,” he grumbled.

“Then there’s no problem!” Skye stood up and reached out a hand to the two. When Billy turned his pleading eyes on the man without loosening his grip, the man sighed and let Skye help to pull him up. He hefted Billy up into his arms. “Okay, let’s go see Santa.”

Once they got the boy to the group, it only took a little more coaxing to get him to let go and climb into Santa’s lap. Skye took the opportunity to bring the man over to a spot they’d set up as a “registration desk” with forms to be filled out.

“I don’t know how much of this I can fill out - I just found the kid in a store, don’t know anything more than he’s told me.”

“That’s okay,” Skye reassured him. “Just fill out as much as you can, and leave your ID info and contact information so we can get in touch with you.” She settled him down with a clipboard and pen, keeping half an eye on him and half an eye on Billy among the other kids.

The boy’s information, as promised, was pretty sparse. But her interest perked up when he entered his own information. “What’s SHIELD?”

His pen froze, and he looked up at her warily. “We’re, uh, we’re here to help with the cleanup.”

“Oh, wow.” Skye looked over at Billy. “So, when you found him -“

“- It was in one of the worse areas, yeah,” the man finished. “Look, to be perfectly honest, I don’t expect his father to be coming for him.”

“Damn,” Skye muttered. “Poor kid.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “So I guess you’ll be looking for some other family.”

“Well, the social services will anyway. Hope they find someone.”

“Wait, you’re not social services?”

Skye shook her head. “Nope. Just another refugee. I volunteered to help out, though - got nowhere else to be anyway. And I know how scary it can be as a kid on your own.”

“Huh.” The man was staring at her intently, and she squirmed slightly under the attention.

“What?”

“Just surprised. You looked like you know what you’re doing.”

“Well, I _do_ know what I’m doing!” she protested. “Just from a different kind of experience, that’s all.”

He raised both hands in a surrender. “Sorry, didn’t mean anything.”

They sat quietly together as he finished the forms, then stood up together and looked over to where Billy was sitting with the other kids. “Santa” had pulled out some children’s books to read to them, and they were all cuddled in closely with their stuffed toys clutched tightly.

“So, he’ll be okay?” the man asked quietly.

“Yeah, he’ll be all right,” Skye reassured him. “Little kids are pretty resilient. And I’ll keep a close eye on him for you,” she glanced down at the clip board, “Mr. Grant Ward.”

“Agent.”

“Huh?”

He gave her a half smile. “It’s Agent Ward.”

“Well, Agent Ward,” she smiled at him, “thank you for bringing Billy here. And stay safe out there.”

He nodded and turned, quickly disappearing into the crowd. Skye shook her head in amusement. _Figures_ , she thought. _It’s Christmas Eve, I meet a gorgeous guy, and all he does is drop a little kid into my lap and run_.


	3. Chapter 3

_And above all this bustle_  
_You'll hear:_  
 _Silver bells, silver bells_  
 _It's Christmas time in the city,_

By the time Ward returned to 34th Street, his team had cleared the block and been moved over onto Broadway. One of the leviathan ships had crashed on the boulevard, leaving plenty of interesting debris around for SHIELD to collect. But soon others were joining them - apparently, SHIELD leadership had finally admitted they just didn’t have the manpower to clear all of the alien debris and accepted the aid of volunteer fire fighters and emergency personnel. The streets filled with the sound of everyone working together, with the occasional sound of laughter at an odd artifact or a rousing cheer when a survivor was uncovered in an unlikely place. At one point, Ward even saw Captain America helping with the clean up. _Of course he is,_ he thought to himself. _Why would that even surprise me?_

When he dropped off his third full containment bag at the command center, Sitwell told him it was time to take a break. “You’ve been going nearly 8 hours straight,” he admonished. “Get some food, get some rest, then report back in 6 hours. You need one of the rooms we’ve secured?”

“No,” Ward shook his head. “I’ve actually got a place here in town I can use.”

“That part of town have power?”

“I think so. If not,” Ward shrugged, “the building has a generator. I’ll be fine, let someone else use the room.”

“Okay,” Sitwell agreed. “It’s nearly 11 now, report back at 5am for your next shift.” Then he turned to another agent bringing in another batch of debris to be examined.

Ward’s apartment was a couple miles south, and he knew he’d have to walk it - the subway wasn’t running, and most of the streets were still closed even outside of the immediate area of the damage. But if he took a detour, he could stop off at Madison Square Garden and get some hot coffee from the vendors he’d seen set up there. And he could check in on Billy, see how he was doing.

And if he caught sight of that brunette again, well, he wouldn’t exactly be complaining.

It wasn’t until he reached the arena that he allowed himself to feel the cold, but once he did, he was more than ready for some hot coffee. He rubbed his hands and stomped his feet to get some feeling back into them as the vendor fixed him a large cup.

“Awfully cold and late for you to still be out there,” the woman commented as she worked. “You part of the work crew?”

“Something like that,” he agreed, wrapping his hands around the cup she handed him. He took a sip, careful not to burn himself. Just right. He pulled out his wallet to pay for it, but the woman shook her head at him.

“Nope, on the house. Least I can do for you.”

Ward blinked in surprise, then put the wallet away. “Thanks.”

“Not a problem,” she assured him. “And come by for a refill before you head back out.”

He raised the cup in a mock toast. “Thank you, I appreciate it.” With a light smile on his lips, he turned to the inner arena entrances. Once inside, he realized everyone had been just as busy indoors as he’d been outside - cots now filled most of the arena floor, and the makeshift aid stations had been converted from simple tables to full booths complete with temporary walls and curtains to shield the occupants from view. A hush lay over the arena like a soft blanket - not anything like silence, but a low thrum that was respectful of the people sleeping in the cots below.

The stands were filled with people, too, many of them wrapped up in blankets in chairs and on bleacher stands. It took him longer than he expected to weave his way through, but eventually he found the group of children tucked into makeshift beds. He caught sight of Billy snuggled up in the lap of the woman he’d seen before - Skye. He stood watching for several minutes as she smoothed his hair and gently rocked him, then shook himself from the near trance. _I must really be getting tired_ , he thought to himself.

Skye looked up from Billy and smiled gently, waving him over. He carefully walked through the maze of children, careful to avoid bumping into anyone. “Welcome back,” she greeted him softly. She adjusted position to open up the seat next to her and nodded in invitation.

“How’s he doing?” Ward asked, perching carefully on the bleacher.

“He’s been good. A little upset when he realized you’d left, but he settled down.” She rubbed a hand gently on the boy’s back. “You finished up out there already?”

“Six hour break,” he corrected her. “My place is south of here, so I thought I’d stop in to warm up.” Skye smirked at him with amusement in her eyes. He broke eye contact, looking around at the small sleeping bodies around them. “Any parents come in yet?”

“A couple of kids have been picked up. But it’ll take time for most of them.” Billy turned his head in his sleep, and Skye followed it with her hand, soothing him. “We got a little more information out of Billy about his family, so that helps.”

“Good.” Ward leaned back a little bit. “It’s a good thing you’re doing here.”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s not like it’s anything _important_ , like protecting us from aliens. And I don’t have anywhere else to be at the moment, so..”

“It’s important to them. To him,” Ward tilted his head toward Billy. “Don’t sell yourself short.” Her smile was shy but brilliant, and he couldn’t resist smiling back. “So,” he asked as he shifted onto his side to look at her more directly, “you said you had some experience before. Want to tell me about it?”

She laughed quietly. “I grew up in an orphanage. Well, off and on, between foster homes. St. Agnes was something like a way station for kids like me…”

Ward relaxed as Skye softly talked about her childhood, recalling some of the children she’d helped to settle in and adjust to life with Catholic nuns as their guardians. Normally, he’d be cataloging the little ticks and tells, storing up information on what she avoided talking about or played down. But that night he just listened. He smiled at her happier memories, and frowned in empathy with the more painful ones. Then he surprised himself by offering some memories of his own - nothing too personal, but little stories about his younger brother and sister, some of the few happy moments they had together.

He’d lost track of time when Skye’s attention was diverted. He followed her line of sight to see a man and woman walking toward them. The man looked vaguely familiar, and after a moment Ward realized he was the man who’d been dressed up as Santa Claus earlier in the evening. “Skye,” he greeted them, “this is Rebecca Bennet. She’s Billy’s aunt.”

“Oh!” Skye gently nudged the boy in her arms. “Billy? Time to wake up.” He whined and rubbed his face into shirt.

The woman knelt down next to them and brushed at the hair in his face. “Come on, sleepyhead, time to go home.”

Billy turned to look at her, mumbling, “Aunt Becca?” After a moment, he woke up enough to reach his arms over to her.

Rebecca grasped him firmly and stood up, settling the boy on her hip. “Thank you for taking care of him.”

“Not a problem,” Skye assured her. “You should be thanking Agent Ward,” she ignored the sharp glance he sent her way, “he’s the one who found him and brought him in.”

Ward felt uncomfortable as the woman directed her gratitude to him. “Thank you so much,” she repeated. “I don’t know what Caleb would have done if something happened to Billy.”

“Is that his father?” Ward asked. “Is he all right?”

“He’s in the hospital. He’s still unconscious, but they expect him to wake up soon.” Rebecca adjusted the blanket wrapped around her nephew. “I should get Billy home and into a real bed so we can visit in the morning. Do you need the blanket back?”

“Take it,” Nick told her. “They’re for the kids, we can spare one.”

“Thank you,” she said again, turning to leave. As she moved, Billy shifted and looked around. “Stop!” he cried out, startling everyone and disturbing a couple of sleeping kids nearby.

“Billy -“

“Forgot Ward!” Billy cried, reaching back toward Skye and Ward. The agent looked over in confusion, but Skye just laughed and stood up with a large stuffed dog.

“Here you go,” she said as she gave the dog to Billy, who clutched it tight against his chest. “You take good care of him,” she instructed solemnly, and Billy nodded in agreement. After a few more words of parting, Rebecca left with Nick to sign him out.

Ward crossed his arms and looked over at Skye. “He named the _stuffed dog_ Ward?”

Skye giggled. “Hey, he came up with that all on his own.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “Guess you made him feel pretty safe.”

He just rolled his eyes at her smiles. “Great. Hope that one never gets back to the guys at work.”

“Scout’s honor,” Skye said, holding up her hand. Then she quickly used it to cover a yawn. “I need some more coffee.”

“What you need is sleep,” he corrected.

“ _You_ try sleeping in these bleachers, then tell me whether sleep or coffee is more appealing.”

Ward checked his watch, seeing it was quarter to midnight. “Well, I’ll walk you out to the coffee vendor. I should be going anyway - I have to report back in five hours.”

“Yuck,” Skye commented, then slung an arm through his elbow and pulled him through the bleachers. “Come on then, guard dog, you need to make sure I get to the coffee stand safely.”

He groaned, but it was in amusement, and he let himself be led along.

———

_Ring-a-ling, hear them ring,  
Soon it will be Christmas day._

Once out by the coffee cart, Skye was pleasantly surprised that Agent Ward stayed to get another cup along with her. The vendor had been closing up the cart, but cheerily pulled her things back out when she saw them coming and winked at Skye.

“Looks like the snow’s finally letting up,” Skye noted. “Should make your walk home easier.”

Ward hummed and nodded, his brow creased in thought. Skye watched him curiously, wondering what was going through that (gorgeous) head of his. While she waited, the vendor finished their coffees and passed them over, then turned back to cleaning up the station for the night. Skye passed one cup to the agent and sipped on her own.

Instead of drinking his own coffee, Agent Ward asked her. “You said you don’t have anywhere else to go - does that mean your home was hit in the attack?”

“Mmhm.” Skye swallowed down the coffee and nodded. “I was - well, I was living in my van, and it’s sort of crushed right now.”

“You were living in a van?” he asked incredulously. Skye just shrugged in answer and took another sip of coffee. He watched her for a moment, then took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. “Well… do you want to stay at my place?”

Skye choked on her coffee. “What?” she gasped out.

“I’m not -“ he hastened, “I mean, it’s a two bedroom apartment, there’s an extra bed so there’s really no reason for you to sleep here, and there’s heat and you can get a shower and probably a change of clothes and-“

“Whoa!” she cut off his ramble. “I wasn’t questioning your motives there, I was just surprised.”

“Oh.” Agent Ward shifted uncomfortably. “Well, it was just an idea. Probably not even a _good_ idea, but -“

“No, it’s a great idea,” she interrupted. “I mean, so long as you’re comfortable with it.”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t,” he responded wryly. “It’s… it’s also a bit of a hike.”

“I can handle walking,” Skye assured him. “So… thanks.” She noticed the vendor watching them with a wide smile, and grabbed Ward’s arm. “Lead the way.”

He looked her up and down quickly. “You should, uh, probably zip up your coat.”

Skye laughed and did so, then walked out of the arena arm and arm with someone who was a total stranger - yet felt like he fit next to her.

Outside, the snow had tapered off to a light flurry. Skye hummed _Silver Bells_ under her breath, enjoying the quiet scenery around them. Every so often, she caught Agent Ward looking at her and would smile at him. As her hands grew cold, she shoved her loose hand into her pocket and was pulling the other to do the same, but Ward caught it in his own hand, rubbing it softly to warm it up. Despite the cold, Skye felt warm from the inside out and enjoyed the soft sway of their hands together.

As they turned a corner, bells rang out from the church half a block ahead of them. “Must be midnight,” Ward murmured. As they approached, they could hear the soft strains of _Silent Night_ from the congregation inside. Neither said a word, but they both stopped outside the church to listen.

The carol drifted around them as Skye thought back over the day. It had started as an average Christmas Eve, interrupted by an alien attack that dealt a devastating blow to the city. But here it was at midnight, and the city’s residents were tucked safely away to welcome Christmas in peace. The crisis had brought out the best of so many people, and brought them together. She looked up at the man standing at her side. It had also brought her Agent Ward.

He caught her eyes and smiled at her, the bells and carols fading to the background. He titled his head ever so slightly in question, and she leaned up on her toes to meet him in a soft, gentle kiss. “Merry Christmas, Skye.”

“Merry Christmas,” she echoed, then met him for another soft kiss. The two smiled at each other as the last strains of song faded.

 

 

_Merry Christmas, SkyeWard fans!!!!_


End file.
